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Posted at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 04:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I went back to look for Crossbills yesterday but just as I suspected, it would be hard to get close to them now that the weather has given us a bit of rain, there is lots of standing water and consequently the odds of the Crossbills choosing the attractive pool is now low. However there was still lots of Goldcrests and other small birds around and the Crossbills could be heard flying overhead regularly.
I had some fun photographing the Goldcrests and also had a fleeting glimpse of a Firecrest again but I didn't manage to photograph it because just as it made an appearance, a stoat showed itself, I was very excited hoping that it would give me clear shot and then out of the corner of my eye, there was the Firecrest. The outcome was that I didn't photograph either. It was brilliant to see the stoat though as I haven't seen one for quite a while and they are such brilliant animals to see. After that I decided go and see if I could photograph the Siskins around the feeders and I have to say that they were very impressive with dozens of them coming and going.
As well as Siskins, a Jay was furtively flying in to eat acorns from the tree above me. It did impress me to see how clever they were, because I think there was more than one. When it was quiet and no people were present, one would fly quietly in to the tree and grab a few acorns before disappearing again just as secretively. All in all an impressive and nice session. At this spot in the last few days I have photographed, and really nicely, Crossbill, Goldcrest and Siskin. As well as these impressive beauties I have also photographed Wren, Treecreeper and Nuthatch.
Posted at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I had a fantastic morning's birding this morning which was unexpected to be honest. I went back to look for Crossbills and Siskins and at first there wasn't a lot going on but this was probably due to the noise and activity in the area. Once it had quietened down things really started to hot up. Firstly Coal Tits came to drink and there were several in the conifers around. I heard several high pitched calls and songs from Goldcrests and it wasn't long before I started to see them in the conifers. It was difficult to estimate how many but definitely at least 6. Then suddenly as I put my lens on to a a bird and I could see immediately that it was a Firecrest. This is the first Firecrest that I have found for my self. I took some ridiculously bad photos which were good enough for me to just to check the colouring and to confirm that I wasn't imagining it. Then the Goldcrests really started to show themselves and as I watched and photographed them, a small group of Crossbills arrived and landed in the tree that I was leaning up against and half hiding behind. The noise fro the Crossbills began to build and then suddenly one flew down to the hidden puddle to drink and this was quickly followed by another. Then a male Crossbill - the one above - flew on to that perch and was quickly joined by two females, one right next to it and the other just above. It really was a special few minutes and very enjoyable.
Posted at 11:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I had a phone call from one of my "Dave" mates yesterday telling me to have a look at the Crosbill photographs on his blog that he had taken recently. He had stumbled upon a a small flock coming down to drink from a puddle deep in the woods at Haldon. I asked him if he would show me where and as we haven't had any real rain for several weeks it seemed pretty reasonable to assume that they would be coming and going to this little water source regularly. I was right and I really have to thank Dave Stone for taking me this morning. All in all I spent around 6 hours - with a break for lunch - trying to get a good photo as they came down from the high trees to first perch in a birch tree before flying down to the puddle which was hidden, unfortunately and surrounded by really high grasses. The light was extremely difficult to deal with and it took as much patience as I have, always trying to make sure that the light, if possible, was coming from over my shoulder and on to the tree. Suddenly, I was in the right spot, the light was right and all I needed now was a bird, then right on cue, there was a female followed quite quickly by a male. I was covered with cam netting and the birds were acting naturally and unaware of my presence. Crossbills are not that easy to find nor see let alone photograph so it was a red letter day really. Again thanks to Dave for his help.
Posted at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I had a nasty shock this morning, my garage was broken in to overnight and some quite valuable recording equipment that I had stored in there was stolen. As well as that, the "low - lifes" went in to my polytunnel and stole small water pumps, tools and a few other things, what a massive intrusion to my life and my property. After a bit of investigation I realised that the thief or thieves had got in to my garden over a back wall and some garages that adjoin that part of my garden. I decided on a walk around that area to see if I could see any sign of dropped stuff or whatever. I could not believe my eyes as I walked down the small ally at the end of my street that leads to a lawned area, there on the grass was a Green Woodpecker.
This was just feet from my house and garden. I live in an extremely built up area and this is the first time that I have seen this species here. I watched it for a minute or two as it feed and then decided to rush back home to get my camera. I didn't really expect it to still be there when I got back but I was wrong, it was, still feeding on the lawn. It hopped around as it looked for ants which is the main diet of Green Woodpeckers. I caught sight of it's massively long tongue but didn't manage to capture a photograph of that. I quite quickly ascertained that it was a juvenile bird just moulting out in to adult plumage with some pin feathers showing through and it still had a few spots on the breast as you can see in the photo above. You can also see the solid black moustache - called a malar stripe indicating a female. If it was a male then the malar stripe would be edged with red. After a while I decided to get down on the ground to see if I could get a better angle for a photo. This was just too much for the bird and it flew to an apple tree in a garden adjoining the green. It is possible that the bird may return because I have read that once there is a known good food source this is quite likely.
Posted at 12:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Dave Stone is a dedicated and committed birder who is constantly out and about looking for "that rarity", see his blog by clicking on the link above left. Yesterday he called me to let me know of a Grey Phalarope that he had discovered on Exminster Marsh yesterday morning. Thanks Dave. By the time I got there all the usual protagonists had also arrived and it was very pleasant to get such a nice friendly welcome from the Daves, (Stone,Land, Boult and Hopkins). I quickly located the rarity in the small pool by the lane and enjoyed seeing it, a bird that I have seen a few times but they always cause a stir when they arrive here . It was hard to get a shot because of the tall grasses between the enthusiastic bird watchers and the bird. An attempt was made by some to "trim" the grasses back which caused a large amount of nastiness from one or two others, oh the joys of twitching. I hate it really but you just have to go when there is a rare bird around or you would never see anything. It really gets my goat to see how a small minority of the public with an interest in birds like the rest of us seem to put themselves in a position of authority over the majority. I don't know how they are allowed to get away with it. They have a pseudo superior opinion of themselves, they look down their noses at photographers and just about everybody else who isn't in their odd little clique so it makes for an unpleasant atmosphere which frankly is best avoided which is why I keep myself to myself and get most of my bird watching pleasure away from the "madding crowd" as Thomas Hardy said. I came away because of them without getting a photo. So then again this morning, another Dave (Land) rang me to say it was still there. I gathered up my gear and off I went for another try. I had to laugh when I arrived because now someone had chopped down the reeds and grasses giving a clear view. the bird was there in full view proving that taking 12 inches of reed in a gap 3 feet wide had caused no disturbance whatsoever, its on a public road anyway so? Whoever chopped the reeds back was long gone but it did mean that I got a decent photo or two. It is an interesting bird, described by someone as a juvenile but I don't think so. Can you see the reddish tinge on the upper breast and the remains of adult plumage on the back, surely an adult but I would be pleased to hear from anyone with an opinion about that.
Posted at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
I wasn't feeling all that chipper yesterday morning after a really bad nights sleep and then once up and about the weather was depressing and gloomy. However, by the end of the day, as I drove home back to Exeter, Jenny and I reflected on what a great day it had turned out. The weather had brightened up, I had seen and photographed Volucella zonaria earlier in the day and then I had gone over to Seaton Marsh because I thought I might get some better photographs of Wood Sandpiper which is a bird that I photographed in 2008 but it was a poor image. While I had been away in Minorca a group of 30 Wood Sandpiper had suddenly turned up at Seaton and I hoped that one or two may still be there. I even managed to persuade my wife to come with me which she has only done once or twice in the last 5 years! She hates birding with me because of a total lack of interest in wildlife and finds sitting in bird hides pretty tedious at best and downright boring in the main. She confessed to me that she was amazed to see how many seemingly ordinary people are so interested in birds! Once we got there it was like being in some kind of wonderful aviary, interesting birds were everywhere. I hadn't heard the news before I left home but a Spotted Crake had been seen earlier in the day so when other birders in the hide were ignoring the beautiful Wood Sandpipers and mentioning the Crake I didn't know what to focus the camera on. The Crake won of course and I managed to see it momentarily and then with a bit of patience it showed long enough for me to get a shot or two even though it was a distant shot - another species for my Devon gallery - 216 Devon species now.
This is possibly one of my worst ever photographs but it's a pretty good bird for Devon so I am glad of it but, back to the Wood Sandpipers. One of the Tringa sandpipers it's related to the Redshank, Greenshank and Lesser Yellow legs amongst others which to my eyes it resembled quite considerably. Whilst we were there the light got better and better and when one of the two still present moved close to the hide I took a series of very nice images.
Amongst all the goodies was a nice little group of Ruff which I have photographed here at Seaton before but I managed to improve on my photographs of this species as well.
I had almost forgotten that early September is such a good month for wading birds and at this time of the year there is always some nice birds to choose from, here's two more species, the first is a juvenile Ringed Plover and then a Common Sandpiper.
So all in all it was a great session. I plan to return to get some shots of the Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint that I just didn't manage.
Posted at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Volucella zonaria is an amazing insect and the reason that I started this blog way back in 2007 when I had one in my garden then and was just in awe then. Yesterday I was attending my vegetable garden when I suddenly caught sight of one nectaring on the flowering garden mint. This is a massive hoverfly, a hornet mimic and is a large, impressive brightly coloured and striped insect, more than twice the size of a common wasp. Of course it is a completely harmless insect but you can imagine that anyone who didn't know better could be quite scared to see it, imagining that it may have a nasty painful sting. I quickly got my camera and took lots of photos and one or two show what a stunning creature this hoverfly species is.
Posted at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Balearic Shearwater.
After a week away in the Balearic Islands I returned to Devon just in time to join the weekly boat trip in to Lyme Bay out of Brixham, coincidentally to photograph Balearic Shearwater. This species is critically endangered due to a large decline in population. It is hard to assess the numbers but it is thought that if the decline continues at the rate it is, they will become extinct. within 20 years or so. The weather was much rougher than it had been on previous trips and at first it looked as though we were just going to enjoy the bumpy trip with only a few sightings of Shearwaters, mostly Manx and they were quite distant. Other passengers saw and even managed a photo of a Sooty Shearwater and then later on in the trip fortunately so did I but it was a distant shot that just conformed the sighting, my first for Devon. The boat was heaving about and there was also a heavy spray, it wasn't looking too good to be honest but there is always anticipation. Conditions did ease though and by the end it was much calmer. Nigel Smallbones who is the organiser - and hats off to him by the way - started to throw the contents of a large bucket overboard. This smelly concoction included fish heads, innards and the remains of a good days fishing. A few gulls had the freebies to themselves at first but then others joined us, and the two were suddenly 30ish as well as a few Gannets a Fulmar and immature and adult Kittiwake.
Kittiwake, surely the UK's prettiest gull.
Quite suddenly a Balearic Shearwater flew in from a distance following the chum line it was flying swiftly and low over the water and approached our stern in a really spectacular way. I was thrilled to watch it approach and called out to everyone else that it was on the way. There was much excitement from everybody. When this had happened on a previous trip I hadn't been too pleased with my pictures so I was determined to get it right this time. It came in, grabbed some food and we left it behind but three times it came back in to us. I have to confess that I really enjoyed the experience of being so close to such a rare and unusual bird.
A Balearic Shearwater flies in to the stern of the boat.
In the sea grabbing bits of fish.
The swell at times almost swamped the bird. Here below, it paddles on the surface.
... and then grabs prey under the water.
Posted at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I've been in Minorca, one of the Balearics - for the last week, a very popular holiday destination with Northern Europeans keen to get some guaranteed sunshine. With cloudless blue skies pretty much a cert and the UK £ strong against the struggling Euro, it's a very popular destination. I always find it a little bit boring though, sitting in the sun sweating and panting in the heat is not my favourite pastime, but it's a massive pleasure to see my beautiful granddaughter enjoying life so much. You would imagine that there would be obvious and regular wildlife sightings to see and record but it's not really like that. I think, because of the heat. Most birds for example are skulking away in the thick scrubby undergrowth but the common birds that you catch a glimpse of are good ones. For example, the 2 common gull species here are both good birds, the almost uniquely "red billed" Audouins Gull is rarely if ever seen in the UK and the Yellow-legged gull replaces the UK's ubiquitous Herring Gull. Kites, both Red and Black are common and Booted Eagle is often seen. Frustratingly, I know that Nightingales are very common but you rarely catch sight of them even though they are heard almost constantly when in the right habitat, low thick scrub which they share with two other species that are very common here, Cettis and Sardinian Warbler. Woodchat Shrike are seen on every road trip and White Stork too. On the negative side, this little island has pretty much been destroyed to make way for the tourist with bare breasts and buttocks making any fully equipped photographer feel slightly uneasy. One of the more common birds is the Spotted Flycatcher and I have seen them regularly whenever I have visited, this year was no exception. Any self respecting butterfly enthusiast would have a field day with every species seen, an unusual one.
Audouin's gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii)
From Wikipedia: The Audouin's gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii) is a large gull restricted to the Mediterranean and the western coast of Saharan Africa. It breeds on small islands colonially or alone, laying 2-3 eggs on a ground nest. As is the case with many gulls, it has traditionally been placed in the genus Larus. In the late 1960s, this was one of the World's rarest gulls, with a population of only 1,000 pairs. It has established new colonies, but remains rare with a population of about 10,000 pairs. This species, unlike many large gulls, rarely scavenges, but is a specialist fish eater, and is therefore strictly coastal and pelagic. This bird will feed at night, often well out to sea, but also slowly patrols close into beaches, occasionally dangling its legs to increase drag. The adult basically resembles a small European herring gull, the most noticeable differences being the short stubby red bill and "string of pearls" white wing primary tips, rather than the large "mirrors" of some other species. The legs are grey-green. It takes four years to reach adult plumage. This species shows little tendency to wander from its breeding areas, but there were single records in the Netherlands and England in May 2003. This bird is named after the French naturalist Jean Victoire Audouin.
Spotted Flycatcher. A common bird on Minorca, this is a juvenile which was feeding on the edge of a fruit orchard.
I photographed this lovely butterfly, a tiny insect in fact. I am pretty sure that it is a Langs Short tail, Leptotes pirithous a small butterfly with a wingspan of 21–29 mm in males and 24–30 mm in females. The uppersides of the wings are purple bluish in males, bluish-brown in female. The undersides are dark beige striped with white lines. The hindwings show marginal orange and black spots and two small tails.
Posted at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Friday's trip was cancelled because of the inclement weather and instead we went out on Sunday morning for three hours. We set sail at 0900 and by 0920 it was obvious that we were going to see hundreds and hundreds of Manx Shearwater with a dozen or so of the critically endangered Balearic Shearwater amongst them. The conditions were calm and most of the birds were sitting rafted up in groups of hundreds of birds, far too many to count. Whilst chumming the Balearics showed a little bit of interest but mostly stayed with the Manx who rarely if ever feed from the back of trawlers and fishing boats whereas the much rarer Balearics are known for this behaviour. We tried hard not to disturb the rafts of birds and it was, as always, very hard to get a good photograph. On the way back in, after a great morning we encountered at least three small groups of Harbour Porpoise. All in all a great way to spend an August Sunday morning.
Did I improve on my images of Manx I wonder, I hope I got close, just very occasionally the Manx "sheared" close to the boat giving those on board a wonderful spectacle. Its easy to separate the two species, the Manx having much more white on the belly and a clear distinction between light and dark on the face. One of the other passengers got very excited because she saw a Sooty Shearwater amongst large rafts but it was never actually confirmed.
Posted at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
In my previous post about Dolphins - see here - I mentioned the great sightings I had of both Manx and Balearic Shearwaters. The conditions were really good when we first left Brixham harbour, but later on in the trip the sun was hidden behind cloud which made photography a little more difficult. However, within a few minutes of leaving harbour we came upon a raft of Manx Shearwater, a dozen or so birds were surface diving on to small bait fish. Last week the birds had kept quite a distance from the boat but on this occasion one bird in particular was right there quite close to the boat. I took a series of shots as it glided past the boat, the white belly and throat contrasting with the dark uppers and long dark wings.
Posted at 04:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
What an absolute thrill I had last night. I was on a boat trip in to Lyme Bay out from Brixham on the "Optimist" with 8 other passengers, a trip organised by Nigel Smallbones. I had been on the same trip last Friday evening and had a great time then, but last night was really, really special. We started by pushing out of the harbour at a lively pace, again like last Friday, in to a glorious calm and sunny evening. We were in to a raft of Manx Shearwater almost immediately and we had absolutely brilliant views of them. The sea was almost "millpond" calm and it was really beautiful conditions, warm and bright. I managed some great photographs as one of the Shearwaters came close to the boat and I will post those pictures in another entry. It was going really well and immensely enjoyable, we constantly came upon more and more Manx Shearwater and then amongst them there was three Balearic Shearwater which is a great bird to see in Devon waters. We pushed further out in to Lyme Bay and we were around 6 miles off Brixham now. Chum was being thrown out to attract the gulls, gannets and suddenly two Balearic Shearwater came in to the offerings and were only feet from us. This was quite a spectacle and it was wonderful to get close to the Shearwaters, a bird that I saw for the first time last week. Suddenly the call came out that there was a large pod of Dolphins in the distance and we quickly got back underway and steamed in their direction. Five minutes later we were amongst the magnificent spectacle of a a large pod of Common Dolphin. We had already noticed how much bait and small fish there was in the high levels of the water and the dolphins were no doubt, following these fish shoals. Dolphins were leaping everywhere and sometimes they were just behind the boat and then on occasions right by the gunnels. It was hard to get a good photo because it was hard to predict where they were going to leap, most shots were of tails and flippers as the dive was missed by a a fraction. Amongst the pod was at least one youngster. This is one of the true wildlife spectacles in the UK. Dolphins are the only mammals that are totally untouched by human hand when in UK waters, they are not contained or culled, hunted or shot, nor are they penned and can come and go as any wild mammal would.
This is the second time that I have been really close to Common Dolphins which are a beautifully marked animal. They are sleek and this is reinforced by some sleek "go faster" stripes on the flanks. They are large and can be up to 9 feet long.
Posted at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
The Black Guillemot is not a species of seabird that I see very often, in actually fact up until my recent family trip to Anglesey at the end of July, I had never seen an adult in full colour. I went out on a tourist boat out of Beaumaris around the aptly named "Puffin Island" and yes we did see Puffin too, but for me though, the highlight was definitely the Black Guillemot pair that were spotted just off the island. This is a species that breeds in Scotland in several sites, on the Isle of Man and very rarely on the East of Anglesey so imagine how amazing it was to see a pair, a very lucky encounter because there are reckoned to be less than just 20 pairs breeding in Wales.
As well as the Black Guillemots, later on in the day at South Stack, home of a massive colony of Razorbills, I climbed down towards the lighthouse and had some incredible views of the them as they came in to their cliff ledges. I tried very hard to photograph them in flight and had some limited success. It occurred to me that there can't be that many birds that are equally adept at flying and swimming.
Posted at 08:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I had been looking forward to a photographic boat trip organised by Nigel Smallbones since I booked several months ago. I boarded the boat "Optimist" just before 6 pm on a bright sunny early evening, once the other 8 passengers had alighted we pulled out of Brigham Harbour strongly at a a good rate of knots and as soon as speed restrictions allowed we were on our way to look for Harbour Porpoise off Berry Head. My main focus was going to be Shearwater which I have not photographed well in Devon before having taken just a few quite poor and distant shots from the Lundy Passenger ferry previously. At first things were a little quiet with just the usual gull species seen and a brief glimpse of a breaching porpoise the only sightings. The trip continued and wasn't too long before a fellow passenger caught sight of a Manx Shearwater and then several more. It looked as though I was going to have some success after all. More Manx flew by but all at a disappointing distance and although I took a few shots of these distant birds I didn't get the photos of the species that I wanted, (I did however manage to improve on pictures taken of this species before). Here is the best one so it was definitely worth the few pounds boat fee and the time invested, in fact it was a great evening and Nigel Smallbones needs to be congratulated on organising it.
Amongst the now regular sightings of Shearwater were 2 or 3 Balearic Shearwater which is a "lifer" for me and I took a few, again distant poor record shots to add to my gallery of Devon Birds which now stands at 215 different species - all photographed in Devon of course.
When we were about 3 miles out, Nigel started to heave some foul smelling fish scraps overboard and this brought in dozens of Herring gulls, a Greater Black backed gull and a single Fulmar. However the highlight of the trip for me was the close views of the odd Gannet that joined us and I took my best ever photographs of this beautiful blue eyed species. As you can see above, at times these Gannets were very close to us.
This one is quite interesting as it is a sub-adult with still some juvenile feathers retained. The lighting conditions were absolutely perfect for seabird photography. During the daytime it's hard to get good shots, particularly if there is a bright but cloudy sky. The camera tends to concentrate on the bright background and then under expose the subject but with the sun lowish in the sky and shining on the bird, photography is much easier.
I took so many pictures of the gannets it has been hard to decide which ones to post and it took me several hours of sorting through which started to get a bit tedious by the end. Obviously it is a matter of personal choice to decide which is the best but this one is quite a stunner!
It was fascinating to watch the birds sighting the fish offerings before turning in the air to dive down, arrow-like to take fish from beneath the surface. The have some specially adapted bone structures that protects them from damage when diving.I mentioned the blue eye which in fact is not the actual eye but bare skin around it.
Posted at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Look at the foot colour of this young Kingfisher, blackish on the normally bright crimson colour. Also the blackish smoky markings on the chest are diagnostic of a juvenile. There is also a light mark on the tip of the bill which remains almost in to adulthood. I would estimate that this bird has only been out of the nest burrow for a week or so but there are no nests sights within at least 2 miles from this spot. At this time of the year young Kingfishers move away from the nest territory to look to establish a territory of their own. I have photographed juvenile Kingfishers in this very spot in July for the last 6 years.
This young Kingfisher is always a skilled hunter and I have already seen him successfully catch 3 fish, I would expect him to do well and survive to adult. Note that he is dealing with the fish by swallowing headfirst, this is to stop the spines getting stuck in the throat and gut. This is instinctive behaviour. If you ever see a Kingfisher carrying a fish tail first you can assume that this bird would be carrying prey to a nest. Incidentally, he caught this Stickleback by momentarily hovering before the dive.
Posted at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Posted at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
I haven't posted on the blog for a couple of weeks, it's been nice to have a break but I am back today with a vengeance. As many of my regular readers will know, I have had a lot of success over the years with Kingfishers on my local brook. This usually commences in July when the youngsters have fledged their nests and are looking to establish their own territories, I went for a walk this lunchtime to see if I could see any signs in the spots that I have photographed them every year since 2009, I literally walked 100 yards from the car and there was a Kingfisher, right on a perch across the slower trickling shallow water. I immediately went home and got my camera and went back.
Within 10 minutes it was back and I was excited to see it and have the opportunity to take photographs. It is a young newly fledged bird, a male I think. It has smokey black feet and dark smudges on the breast. A house sparrow perched close to it and this was enough to illicit an aggressive response from the nervous little bird. After a few seconds it dived in to the water and emerged with a massive River Minnow making this a very special 30 minutes or so.
Posted at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
There was a female Long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) on the Exe Estuary today. It is highly unusual that a bird that breeds in the Arctic north specifically, circumpolar, on the Arctic coasts of Europe (Iceland and Norway), and Asia (Russia) North America (Canada, Alaska, USA and Greenland). There is no explanation for one seen here in Devon today right in the middle of the European summer. I took some photographs of the bird that was fishing in the shallow tidal waters right in front of Exton Station on the Avocet Line. This is a pretty little duck and a massive rarity in the south of England at this time of the year.
Posted at 09:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Male Whinchat
This last few days has seen me trying to get close to Whinchats on Dartmoor. This is a species of chat that, unlike the Stonechat, is a migrant that winters in Africa. I have been fortunate enough to see this species in The Gambia which was a thrill. Dartmoor is a typical breeding habitat for the species. It is an upland area, relatively isolated and quiet. The habitat is moorland with thick scrubby grass and boggy areas with scattered old hawthorns, bracken and gorse. Fundamentally I would imagine that seclusion is the primary requirement and good nest sites are part of this. In common with several other Dartmoor nesting species, such as Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit and Stonechat they nest on the ground.
A clutch of eggs.
The nest is a small cup of fibre and grasses hidden in the grass and even when you know the location within a few square metres, it can be incredibly difficult to find. Eggs are a gorgeous vivid turquoise blue and while I abhor the concept of egg collecting I can understand why someone with a less ethical and criminal attitude would be attracted to a bird's egg. For me an egg is a beautiful jewel without equal in the natural world.
A female Whinchat.
Posted at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
I have enjoyed watching a pair of Willow Warblers this week. They are nesting close to a path and high up in a bank but very close to the ground. The tiny nest is really well concealed and it has to be because predation is very common and a large percentage of nests fail. For this reason the young grow rapidly and fledge the nest at around 11 to 12 days old. They work really hard to feed their clutch and are constantly collecting prey and will deliver to the nest around 10 times an hour.
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The video is best viewed on an iPad.
I was lucky enough to be shown this nest by a BTO registered ringer and nest finder on Dartmoor this week. With some real patience, fieldcraft and common sense I took some lovely photos and video. The Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) is a small and common warbler that breeds on Dartmoor as well as in numerous other habitats and locations in the UK and Europe. They nest on the ground, for example in a depression, perhaps made by a cow's hoof on a bank, typically amongst grass and vegetation. The nest is hard to find and even when I returned, after being shown it 12 hours earlier I really struggled to relocate it. Once found I moved back to 30 yards or so and watched as the parents came in to feed the youngsters. Once I was really sure and confident that the birds were uncaring of me I moved just a tiny bit closer and then set up a video camera on to the nest. You can be assured that the birds were not disturbed at all or they would not have been coming in to feed the nestlings as you can see in the video. The footage took 40 minutes to film and in that time the parents visited 7 times, multiply that by 16 hours of daylight and you can see that the birds deliver food around 160 times in a day! That's some kind of shift and a lot of prey needs to be available which includes all sorts of insects and caterpillars.
As well as the Willow Warbler I was also privileged to be shown Whinchat nests with both eggs and others with nestlings. It's sometimes hard to even find a Whinchat let alone find a nest so again this was a massive thrill for me. I plan to visit again today to film the activity at these nests. Again, the safety of the birds will be of paramount importance. I would just like to mention at this point that I am a Schedule 1 licensed bird photographer and to get the licence you need to fulfil a list of criteria which includes references from wildlife experts and senior members of the community as well as proving to Natural England that you have the necessary skills and acumen to photograph at a nest without disturbance. To whet the appetite here is the nest of a Whinchat which the BTO ringer checked and we took a quick photograph of. Again the nest is on the ground and hidden away in the grass and vegetation.
Posted at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
The male displaying on the rock beneath the female.
So this is D Day and we are now in to summer without a doubt. I arrived at the cuckoo territory before 8 o'clock, confident that the early morning - well relatively early for me - would bring me some success. I hiked up to the spot and began to set up. Imagine my disappointment when opposite, I could see tents and people camping. I went to chat to them and discovered that they were about to pack up their stuff and leave. Even before they did I had some success though. Their was the usual bubbling sound that I have associated with mating behaviour and first a female arrived in the tree followed with much excitement from both me and the cuckoo, a male. He landed close to her and with even more excitement, again from us both and carried on serenading her with that call song that we all know so well.
The female attracts her mate and watches him display.
At 9 15 the campers left and I knew that I was going to do better now, at least I hoped. I was right because at 9.30 the male was back on the tree and I got some of the best views that I have had so far this year - not realising that better was to come in just a few minutes. The male stayed in the tree for a few minutes before flying down to the ground and I was hoping it would perch on a really photogenic perch that I had seen it on - from a distance though- yesterday. It didn't but instead it flew off ,strongly calling as it went, sex was on it's mind. The next event was the return of the female, followed seconds later by the male again. She remained in the tree but then some fascinating and extremely interesting behaviour occurred. The male flew down to a rock where he proceeded to display to her. He swayed slowly and deliberately from side to side and cocked his tail beautifully. He then flew to a near log and carried on with the display. All the while the female watched from above. It was as though he was in an arena and he was putting on a show for her, reminiscent of a lyre bird displaying in a lek. I was witnessing behaviour that others had rarely seen I would guess. After a short while she left the tree and he flew after her very strongly and right above my head in the hide, just a foot or so from me, as I said,sex was on his mind. When I had arrived this morning I had hoped for some good photo opportunities but I never imagined that they would be as good as this.
Posted at 04:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Having had such good cuckoo success yesterday I couldn't wait for the new day to dawn, then the weather forecast seemed to indicate a front moving through but I decided to risk it anyhow and I was back on the moor by around 9 o'clock. I set up overlooking the tree where I had photographed the bird yesterday and it wasn't long before Cuckoos were calling - at least 2 and I watched them flying from tree to tree but not close enough for a photograph. After an hour and with a Cuckoo calling almost constantly and not too far away, I decided to change tack and see if I could stalk up to where it was perched. I knew this would be really hard but I could see a cuckoo now, low on and old dead tree stump. I watched as it flew down to feed and I thought I could get much closer but I was wrong! As I approached, almost on my belly - defying my age some would say - I was almost in position when suddenly from the tree above me another cuckoo - probably a female - flew out followed by the male who had now seen me as well! I was disappointed but now I knew where they are feeding. I sat myself under a tree opposite and got myself camouflaged and hidden and began to wait. Unfortunately the weather worsened and the promised wet front arrived. I was shrouded in a mist and a steady drizzle began to fall. I peered out of a hole in my cam stuff and then, suddenly there was a female cuckoo flying in against the strong breeze. It landed right on the tree where I hoped one would! She was wet through and probably didn't appreciate the mobbing of a meadow pipit which usually happens. She remained long enough for me to take a few nice pics before, with the mobbing pipit in tow, she flew to my right and in to a nearby hawthorn. I was going to swing my camera around to her but the pipit got the better of her and she flew off again strongly. I love it when I put in a lot of effort and plan a strategy and it pays off, so today's encounter and subsequent photograph was very rewarding.
Posted at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
This is the best time to see and if you are lucky and have some knowledge of what it takes, the best time to photograph Cuckoos. I have been lucky this last few years but this year it has been hard work. I decided to put in a real shift yesterday and eventually it paid off with a great encounter involving both a male and the lovely female in the photographs. I first heard a cuckoo quite a distance away after waiting patiently for 7 hours, it had been that long between hearing one when I arrived and eventually hearing another - or the same one of course. It kept calling and then after a long while it was calling again but now much closer, I caught sight of it and made my way nearer with myself covered in cam netting. It was a male bird of course and it moved on without me getting close enough for a a good photograph but I could hear it further to my right. Then suddenly right where the male had been, there was a female and she was perched close now and I managed to get a shot or two as she flew down to feed. Success at last!
Posted at 07:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I had an enchanting encounter with a family of young foxes yesterday evening, just before sunset. I had seen a fox by my caravan hide the other day, as I quietly made my way there I could see a fox just sitting there in the sun, whats more, it didn't seem to be all that alert or wary and I walked ever closer to it. Then later on, my friend Dick told me that he had seen a vixen and cubs there recently so I thought I would go back with the camera and see if I could get a photo or two. Again, as I approached the gate I saw three cubs who were playing in the grass and oblivious to me but eventually they disappeared in to the cover of the woodland. It wasn't long before one came out again and continued to romp around in the long grass and amongst the wild flowers. It came ever closer and closer to me but was still 30 feet away from my position as I stood out in the open but very still. The wind was blowing in my direction so it probably couldn't scent me. I pursed my lips and made a few loud squeaks which really got the little fox interested and it started to approach me. I have seen my brother do this and knew it worked but I didn't have an idea that it would be so effective. I squeaked again and again and in the end it was literally no more than 6 feet from me, it just couldn't resist being inquisitive. and I could see why it hadn't seen me. One eye was damaged and instead of a bright sparkle there was a white sunken and bloody socket. The poor animal had lost an eye and this was why it was struggling with the concept of caution. I would suspect that with nature being kindest to the strong and fit, this young animal will soon meet its end sadly. How stupid is a fox that would approach a grown man's squeak? Later on I saw an adult fox and tried the squeak again. This time the wary, intelligent animal hastily made its way in to the undergrowth proving that if you want to live to adulthood and you are a fox you have to learn that its probably not a good idea to walk towards a strange sound.
In the photo below, you can see how close the cub came and also it's nasty injury that will have such a massive impact on it's life expectancy.
Posted at 07:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I love Stonechats! I was out on Dartmoor this morning, looking for Cuckoos and to try for some photos of this great species. There is such a small window in which to be successful because in a few weeks time the males will already be heading south back on migration. It was unbearably cold this morning, I could only manage an hour before I was cold right through to my bones. I had seen a Cuckoo and heard one in the distance but I think the windy conditions had made it a difficult day for them as well as me. On my walk back to the car I had my attention drawn by this Stonechat which is exactly what he was trying to do, draw my attention away from his nest! They are such lovely birds though.
Posted at 02:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Having recently returned from Spain it has taken me a couple of days to get back in to the swing of things and get out birding again. Yesterday I went out to the area on Dartmoor where I had seen and photographed Cuckoos last year. I am a few days earlier than last year though and I would suggest that the time of year, perhaps even down to the day is very important. The Cuckoos seen last year - and in previous years - have all been feeding on small caterpillars on short grass and I would guess that the development of the caterpillars is vitally important. As soon as there is a good source of prey in the form of moth caterpillars then I am hopeful that the Cuckoos will come in to feed. I did get very close to a Cuckoo yesterday but unfortunately it was perched on the tree behind me - very close - but not on the tree in front of me! Never the less, it was a massive thrill when after sitting for a couple of hours, suddenly there was a Cuckoo and doing it's thing only a few feet away. In previous years I had watched small birds, including Pied Flycatcher and Common Redstarts coming to feed on the same caterpillars and seeing these from just a few feet away was almost as thrilling as the Cuckoos. So far this year, I have had the immense pleasure of having Meadow Pipits feeding almost around my feet as I sat camouflaged. This is always a great thing to happen because it proves beyond doubt that I am sufficiently well concealed. The bird (above) was coming in to the short grass on average around every 20 minutes or so and filling it's beak with small invertebrates before probably flying back to a nest somewhere nearby to feed its young. Check back next week because I am going to continue looking and hopefully I will photograph a nice Cuckoo (for the 4th year running incidentally).
Posted at 05:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
This is a Griffon Vulture, one of 72 species and around 30 photographed so far. This is an amazing place and so close to the UK. Photographic conditions are difficult due to the high intense and very bright sunshine which casts shadow over the subject. However, I have managed good photographs of around 30 species so far - 36 hours in to this guided trip with Griffon Tours. Highlights birdwise so far has been the 10 "lifers" - birds that I have seen for the first time - Calandra Lark, Short toed Lark, Montagues Harrier, Spanish Imperial Eagle and Serin to name only 4........ how could I forget Black-bellied Sandgrouse!!! Off today to see more beauties.
This is a Pallid Swift.
Posted at 07:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
There hasn't been many posts here this last week because I haven't had as much success as normal. I have missed lots of other good birds in Devon as well as I have been concentrating on getting the very best photographs of Peregrines, Kestrel and - really unusually - Stock Dove...... Stock Dove I hear you ask? But more about that later. I have enjoyed my stake outs at my hide though but this has stopped me photographing other birds and then when you don't have any success it seems like a lot of wasted time. Both yesterday and today for example, I spent a total of 6 hours sitting waiting for a bird to land on the old oak tree but it was a total failure, worth waiting for though because every bird that I have photographed from this hide and in this tree previously has been absolutely wonderful. There are still Peregrines in the territory and I have seen them on avery trip recently but in spite of a lot of patience, not on the Oak Tree. However, it's no hardship sitting comfortably in the hide listening to the woodland birds half listening to the radio (with headphones) and all the while hoping and half expecting an amazing bird to land right there in the perfect spot.
Just a bit about this image, beautiful with the different light.
Now to Stock Dove. I was sat in the hide last week waiting for the Kestrels and hopefully, one of the resident Peregrines when suddenly a pigeon landed right where the birds of prey like to land. I was expecting it to be a Wood Pigeon because I have seen them there several times but I was wrong and what a lovely surprise when I realised that it was a Stock Dove. This is a bird that I have only seen - with certainty - a few times in Devon and a couple of times in Yorkshire. This is a reasonably rare(ish) resident Devon bird that is probably under recorded though and perhaps more common than realised but in the UK, the population is thought to be around 260,000 compared to nearly 6 million Wood Pigeons so you can see, they are not common at all. It is to my eyes a pretty soft gentle looking bird with a a very distinctive colourful patch on the neck and a distinctive dark incomplete wing bar. Once you have seen a Stock Dove you will not confuse the species for the obviously very similar feral pigeon that are related to Rock Doves. That species has a white rump whereas the Stock Dove has a grey rump. Unusually the Stock Dove is a hole nesting birds that likes to use old oak trees apparently. That is unusual and it can't be that easy to find enough nest holes and for that reason they will use a nest box. I read somewhere that nest boxes put up for owls are regularly taken over by these pigeons. Half of the European population is found in the UK but like I have already alluded, while not being particularly rare, they are often overlooked. I have been back to my hide twice since I took these photographs and I have not had another visit which probably reinforces how lucky I was.
Posted at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I recently took some photographs of a Kestrel on the same perch and from the same position that I had photographed Peregrines previously. I compared the images to get a good idea of the size differences between different species and more dramatically, the difference in size between adult Peregrines. I have to confess to being staggered at the difference between the female and male Peregrines. To get a good accurate idea of the sizes you need to check the branch which in all pictures is the same size.
Posted at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
A few weeks ago I became aware of a pair of Kestrels that were showing interest in a nest ledge at the site of the Peregrine Falcons that I am licensed to photograph. It is almost a week since I visited the site and even on my 2 previous visits I had seen the Kestrels and I imagined that they had decided not to breed at this site. Perhaps the male is too young? I visited the site today hoping to photograph the Peregrines from a hide that is set up next to an old oak tree. I settled down for what I expected to be the usual wait and to help pass the time I started to read from my iPad. Suddenly I heard the Kestrels who were calling very loudly and were very close. Before I knew it there was the male on the perch in front of me. I was caught off guard and I failed to get a shot before it flew off, still calling and obviously down on the nest ledge. i was disappointed not to have managed at least one shot because for several weeks I had imagined that any shot from this hide and on that perch would be quite a good one. Then just before I had chance to feel too disappointed, there it was again, or so I thought, but this time it was the female. I took loads of photos and had chance to have a really good close look at it before it flew off as well but it had been there for at least 5 minutes. As if that wasn't enough suddenly there was the male and he stayed for quite a while and I not only took some great photos I could also study him really well.
Both pictures above show the female which was slightly larger than the male and the most obvious differences was the brown tail banded with dark bands in the female and a grey blue tail in the male, banded with dark bands. These bands are absent in males that are 2 years old or more. In addition to the colour of the tail the back of the male is also much richer brown - in fact almost brick red. I think that if the bird (below) were older then the moustache strike would be bolder and more defined as it is in the female above. Look at the beak of the male below, on the upper bill you can see the tomial tooth which is a feature of falcons and also very noticeable in Peregrines.
Posted at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Meadow Pipit
I spent a few hours today looking to take photographs of Tree Pipits at a spot near Mortonhampstead close to Dartmoor. Checking my galleries I can see that I have been there in this calendar week over the last few years. The Tree Pipits can be hard to separate from the Meadow Pipits but once you see them in their very distinctive parachuting display flights, they are unmistakeable. If you compare pictures of known Tree Pipits with Meadows one or two things become obvious. The hind claw on the Meadow Pipit is noticeably longer, in fact it usually looks almost too long. The hind claw of a Tree Pipit is a more balanced length. Then , look at the flank markings, this of a Tree Pipit are much finer unlike the Meadow which are usually very much bigger. Then, but I think this is less obvious, the beak of the Tree Pipit is heavier. But even after looking at all of those diagnostic features you may still get it wrong. However like I have already alluded to, the song and display of the Tree Pipit will always clinch it.
Meadow Pipit
The bird above and below is a Meadow Pipit, note the flanks heavily barred right down to the legs. I have also noticed that the legs of Tree Pipits are more flesh coloured. I was quite sure that the bird below was a Tree pipit but on closer inspection, the claws are far too long and indicate that this is a Meadow Pipit.
Meadow Pipit
Now here's a couple of photo's of a Tree Pipit (below). It does show the difference on the flanks but I didn't mange to get the great shot that I wanted but I am going back tomorrow and I may be more successful then.
Tree Pipit
Posted at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
At the site where I am licensed to photograph Peregrines I have, this last two weeks or so been joined by a pair of Kestrels. Yesterday their breeding activities were really ramped up with both birds on the their chosen nest ledge - an old discussed Raven's nest. I watched the female shaping a scrape with her body, in much the same way as the peregrines do and then I observed the male displaying to his mate on the ledge. Then both birds were in an adjacent tree and I was hoping that they would copulate. I have been informed that there will be no conflict between the resident Peregrines but this will be an interesting liaison. The male Kestrel is a feisty bird and I have seen him on several occasions mobbing, or flying at the female Peregrine. He may have a death wish! It will be fascinating if both nests are successful, can you imagine if there are juvenile Kestrels and juvenile Peregrines in the territory together? Well, in fact I am informed by raptor experts that this will not be unusual and there are records of Peregrin adults actually feeding juvenile Kestrels in confusion. Instinct is a great thing and I doubt that the Peregrines can resist the begging calls of the closely related falcon species. Unfortunately the distance from my hide to the nest ledge is quite a big one so the photos are the best I can do. This is the female Kestrel flying from the ledge
Then we have the male and female on the ledge, male in the front he is a young bird and still has a barred tail.
In this one they are displaying to each other, when they do this they call loudly and also continue calling in flight.
In this one the female is on the left. The male has a very peculiar display dance where he bends his knees and bobs up and down.
Posted at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I am a Schedule 1 licence holder for the territory of this bird.
It would be hard for me to convey in to words how utterly rewarding and exhilarating this photograph is for me. I am very obsessive when it comes to bird photography and I like to make a plan and see it through to get the photo that I have seen in my mind's eye, sometimes for months in advance. This photo was taken from a hide that I built last year overlooking an old oak tree that I know the Peregrines like to visit from time to time. By no means is this a daily occurrence but I reasoned that if I put enough time in then eventually I would get lucky. I have photographed the Tercel from this hide last year and also newly fledged juveniles but I hadn't been lucky enough to photograph the falcon posing nicely.... until today that is. But it has been a very patient 9 hours this last two days! When the opportunity presented itself I had one chance and one chance only. I had been in the hide for a couple of hours and had seen the falcon briefly flying around just now and again and beneath me. I was sat very quietly with my head resting comfortably against the cam netting, I was almost "nodding off" when without any warning or noise, I saw her appear. The camera was already focused right on the branch and almost perfectly in the right place. I immediately pressed the shutter, the bird heard the shutter noise and in the time it's taken for you to read this sentence, she had come and gone. The body and talons are in focus but a slight move of the head just as the shutter was fired makes that part of the photograph slightly soft. If I had been able to take two or three shots I may have had one or two to choose from but never the less it was brilliant to see the falcon so close and to get the photograph. I was really relieved when I saw it because with my 500 lens I managed to get the entire bird in the frame. I guess thats wht you call a frame filling shot!
Posted at 06:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
This is the female Peregrine known as a "falcon".
This last few days have been interesting at my Peregrine Falcon Site - I am licensed by Natural England to photograph there - but what has been disappointing is the apparent failure of the peregrine nest, however the presence of a breeding pair of Kestrels has been brilliant to watch. Yesterday I watched both male and female interacting and taking part in courtship, both in the air and on the rock face. I have to confess that I haven't really taken enough notice of Kestrels before, or rather I should say that I haven't had the opportunity to study them before. Therefore, if they do go on to breed here and I am almost certain that they will, it is going to be very interesting. The other day I had witnessed displaying by one of the pair with a lizard and I had assumed this to be the male bird and when I first saw this bird yesterday I thought it was the female again. But as soon as I saw both birds together it was obvious which was which. Oddly the male has a heavily barred tail, he must be a second year bird and still retaining some of the juvenile feathering as both male and female juveniles have barred tails. So that was something that I have learned about this species already. When they were courting, the male literally flew in at the female, in a play attack and she turned upside down and showed her talons to him to defend herself. I have read about this "play fighting" during courtship. Then they took to the air and very acrobatically swooped around like fighter planes in a dog fight.
This is the male and you can clearly see that it has a barred tail and not solid grey, a sure indication of it's age. In the picture below, the female has a totally different tail and is more evenly brown all over.
The photos are from a distance and its hard to get a good image from the distances involved. Below is the male perched on the rock face and its good to be able to compare the plumage of the two birds.
Posted at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
(A difficult shot from quite a distance.)
I witnessed something really interesting today. I had sat in the hide for an hour or so, hoping to see the Peregrines continuing their breeding activity but at the moment that seems to be a little bit uncertain - to say the least. Then I heard the excited calling of a Kestrel, these last few visits I have seen them on an old Ravens nest and I am sure they are going to breed, or attempt to breed there. I immediately managed to get my camera on to the ledge there. I was pretty sure that it was going to be the male - I have seen both sexes there recently - but no, it was the female. It was carrying a lizard in its beak and it was bobbing up and down, calling loudly. Odd that it had flown to the nest ledge with prey because I would have expected the male to be displaying and delivering prey. It's always massively difficult to anticipate behaviour as usual. What was just as interesting was that prior to the noisy excitement from the Kestrels, I hadn't seen a Peregrine but it seemed that the presence of the smaller falcon had attracted it's attention and it then flew in to the nest ledge. It stood there motionless and the word forlorn crossed my mind. There is still no sign of the tercel and I haven't seen him since last Wednesday which is probably why there seems to be a halt in breeding activity. A big disappointment frankly.
Posted at 09:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
In this part of the world Marsh Tits are one of the rarer species of tit, therefore it's always good when I see one. At my peregrine falcon nestsite I have been putting out a feeder in front of the hide just to make it a bit more interesting when there's not a lot going on. So far I've had some nice birds come to the feeder. There has been blue tits, great tits, great - spotted woodpeckers of both sexes, but so far no nuthatch which is a surprise. But yesterday I was really pleased when a pair of Marsh Tits came to the feeder. As well as being one of the less common tit species in the UK it's also one of the least colourful but nevertheless still very attractive. There are thought to be only around 40,000 breeding pairs of marsh tits in the country and an estimated 3 to 4,000,000 breeding pairs of blue tits. So you can see that your chances of seeing a Marsh Tit is quite slim compared to the much more common blue and great tits, in fact for every 100 blue tits there is a marsh tit! This picture was taken with my 300 lens and is not cropped, the bird being just 3 feet in front of me from inside the hide.
Posted at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I have a Schedule 1 Licence to Photograph Kingfishers at the nest.
This is a photograph from 2013.
jI've ust been out looking for kingfishers or should I say trying to find their nest and its been a disappointment. I was there for about two hours without any success which is a bit of a frustration really. I searched the bank for a likely looking hole but I couldn't find one even though I was checking very carefully where they had nested successfully last year. There are a few other areas where I suspect they may be nesting and I'm hoping to go and check that out later on today. It's always very frustrating at this time of the year, trying to find a kingfishers nest is hard but well worth it because when you find one it's extremely interesting and the photo opportunities are great. Of course I have a schedule one license to photograph kingfishers at the nest and I am fully conversant with the law and how it applies to photography and kingfishers at their nest territory. The best way to discover a nest is to look for adult birds carrying fish back to their nest. When they are feeding their young they will carry their prey tail first and this is a sure sign that they are feeding youngsters somewhere, then it is just a matter of following them and hopefully pinning down where their nest hole is. But do not do this if you are not licensed for you will be breaking the law. I would not consider myself an expert on the kingfisher but in previous years I have learnt so much about this beautiful species. For example the other evening I was sat by the river looking at a likely nesting site when a couple stopped and spoke to me. They asked what I was looking for, as I had binoculars and was wearing a camouflage jacket. I told them that I was looking for kingfishers but I explained about the law and how this affects people who want to photograph at a nestsite. They then told me that they hadn't even seen a kingfisher previously when suddenly one flew right passed in front of us: they would not have seen it if I hadn't been aware of the call. It flew away down river strongly, they are very fast flyers and they have a large territory this is one of the reasons that is difficult to find their nest. Then after 10 minutes or so it came back in the other direction so I quickly followed it and then I had a really really close up encounter with it as it perched on a branch above the bank right where they had nested in previous years. It seems though that this was just coincidental as I am pretty certain they are not a nesting in that vicinity this year. Kingfishers will have two or three rounds of nests and my records indicate that I found some newly fledged youngsters on May 1 a couple of years ago. I would imagine, using that as an example, that there are Kingfisher nests with quite large chicks at the moment so this is a good time for me to be looking for adults carrying fish prey.
Posted at 03:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It seems as though the tercel has gone AWOL now and he has't been seen since the 8th April - 4 days ago. I saw the falcon almost constantly today - I was there for 6 hours - and she spent the majority of time calling and apparently searching for her mate. It is not unusual for the tercel to keep a low profile and I would expect him to put in an appearance very soon. I am confident that the falcon will produce another clutch of eggs but it will be dependent on the tercel's part in proceedings. I witnessed some very surprising behavior however. The Kestrels were there again and at one point, with the falcon in the adjoining oak, the male Kestrel came in to mob her. It then landed next to the falcon and they both remained in the tree, next to each other for 20 minutes. Eventually the Kestrel flew off and the falcon flew back down on to her nest ledge. Later, the Kestrel flew on to the Raven's nest and noisily displayed before gliding off.
Posted at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Please note: I have a Schedule 1Licence to photograph at this Peregrine nest site.
The latest development is not a good one but it's nature in the raw. Having been away for the Easter weekend, I returned to the nest territory at the first opportunity, full of anticipation and without any doubt that the falcon would be sitting her clutch of eggs. It was a shock when I peered on to the ledge to see it vacant with no sign of a Peregrine. I studied the nest scrape and could see no sign of eggs either. I waited and waited but still no bird came to the ledge but after a while I did see both birds who flew from beneath me. At this point it became obvious that there was something seriously wrong and the eggs had probably been predated, the only conclusion that I could come to. I remained in the hide for more than 3 hours though, needing to study the behaviour of the adults. Eventually the falcon came in but avoided the nest ledge. She flew from a spot where she had just been feeding, her crop was bulging with the meal and I watched her wipe her beak on the branch that she was perched on. Having noticed last week that she was really quiet, almost secretive, now she was noisy, again and calling for her mate and also using the breeding call. My one and only hope is that she will go on to produce another clutch of eggs but if she does, will these also be predated? I can only guess as to the culprit but my money would be on the Ravens that I have seen and heard constantly this year. The falcon made no attempt to fly to the nest ledge but instead flew from her tree perch on to a favourite rock on the quarry face where I have photographed her before. Both were perched regularly there at the beginning of March.
I visited again yesterday and it was probably one of the most interesting of the season so far. It wasn't all about Peregrines though. When I arrived I was pleased to see the falcon standing on the nest ledge, this is a sure indication that she is going to try again and lay another clutch of eggs. However after just a few minutes she flew out of the quarry and out of sight. Then a bird arrived and without me getting a proper view, landed on an old Raven's nest to the left, but not far from the normal breeding ledge. I trained my optics there and I was surprised to see, not a Peregrine but a female Kestrel. She was clucking in breeding display and bobbing up and down excitedly, surely a sure sign that she is interested in breeding here. Kestrels are known to not only choose a rock ledge as a nest site but they also like to use disused corvids nest so this would normally constitute a perfect nest site. But so close to the Peregrines nest ledge, surely there is bound to be conflict. After flying from the ledge it perched in the nearby oak tree and remained there for an hour or so, even having the audacity to use the Peregrine's favourite perch. Later, after well over an hour, I heard the clucking call of a Peregrine and the female flew in. The Kestrel, even though well aware of the much larger bird of prey, hardly reacted. With the Peregrine now on the nest ledge, I had the pleasure of having two magnificent falcon species in front of me. The Peregrine worked on her nest and the Kestrel then flew on to her chosen ledge and began to display and call in a very animated way. This is all very interesting and I look forward with a lot of anticipation to discovering the outcome of this alliance. Will they tolerate each other?
Posted at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
There was some excitement when I got to the Peregrine territory yesterday morning but first there was massive deflation because, as I opened the flap of the hide and peered on to the nest ledge, hoping beyond hope that there was going to be a sitting peregrine - there was nothing. I think we are getting to the stage when eggs need to be produced very soon if breeding is going to take place this year and with this falcon being only in her second spring I am beginning to accept that she is too young. Then suddenly, there was a bird of prey, but brown - it was a female Kestrel and it was just above the nest ledge! Perhaps looking for a nest site itself? Would the peregrines accept that, I doubt it? Then as if to confirm my opinion, there was a peregrine, it was the falcon. She had flown in to protect her territory. I fully expected conflict of some sort but she just went on to her nest scrape, did a bit of scratching around, sat still for a minute or two on the nest and then left. Meanwhile, the Kestrel flew back in front of the ledge as if to mob the Peregrine. All very interesting. Then the nest ledge was vacant again? Then the real excitement - there is an egg! With the nest vacant, I used all my optics stacked one on toop of the other. This gives me massive magnification, hardly good enough to publish as a photo but, then using the zoom on the live view of the camera, I could just make out a portion of colour where a tiny fraction of an egg was visible. This is great news and within the space of just a few minutes I went from deflation to elation! But now, as if to make observations really worthwhile, the falcon is away from the ledge and not guarding the precious object at all. If I hadn't seen the egg I would have almost certainly given up the idea of success this year. As was proved when the Kestrel turned up, I can only assume that she is watching carefully from afar.
Posted at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It was a massive surprise when I got to the hide yesterday, there was no falcon on the ledge and I was sure there was going to be. Trying to work out what was going on is becoming a big frustration, a quandary and a real test of patience. It was at least a week ago that I suspected that there could be eggs in the nest, then as the week has gone on I have been forced into changing my opinion. All I can say is that there is breeding activity on the nest ledge and the falcon wouldn't be there - almost constantly - if she isn't interested in breeding but quite what the state of play is now, well I am mystified. Two weeks ago the birds were very vociferous with much calling back and forth but now, apart from some clucking calls when the falcon arrives at the nest, they are almost silent.
As well as this, the tiercel's part in proceedings has been reduced to a bit part and he is seen and heard nowhere near as often as he was two weeks - or even a week ago. When the falcon was incubating last year, the tiercel also behaved in this way so I am interpreting his behaviour as positive. The falcon did come to the nest ledge after I had been there 20 minutes though and then she left 35 minutes later, probably to go off to hunt I thought. During her time on the ledge she sat loosely in the nest scrape for a while and then stood next to it for the remainder and like I have said, no tiercel to be seen. As I wrote this yesterday, the falcon - who had returned after a short while - stood motionless by the nest scrape, which is what she did for 9 hours the day before, I guess there must be a reason she is standing there!
Posted at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
At my Peregrine hide I have set up a little feeder so that when I am sitting waiting for action at the nest ledge and things are a little quiet I have got something to keep me interested. it's been good fun and I have started to get some interesting birds coming in. These have included Great-spotted Woodpecker, Marsh Tit and the other usual tit species. Considering that the feeder is less than 3 feet from me when I am in the hide, it was great to have the woodpecker there yesterday. They are still common at the hide area inspite of the Peregrines predating at least - to my knowledge that is - 15 last year. This is a very attractive, some would see exotic species and the wings in flight are particularly striking. You can see how a Peregrine would have very little trouble sighting this species in flight and I would suggest that evolution has dealt a bad hand to the Great-spotted Woodpecker. This is a male by the way. Females have no red on the head and oddly, juveniles are more coloured than both their parents with red on the front of the head.
This is another one of those species that we think of as British but they are widespread across Europe and Asia. They have become more common in the UK in the last 25 years and I have even had the privilege of one on my garden feeder. They are a nuisance in the breeding season because they will break in to the nest boxes of small tits and flycatchers and eat the chicks or eggs, not a very endearing habit. They love peanuts and this is why they can be attracted to the garden and feeders particularly, hence this one feeding from my "hide" feeder. I hope to get more...... many more photos of this species in flight.
Posted at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I came across this male Chaffinch this morning that was acting in an interesting but perhaps a bit of a stupid way. It had seen it's own image in the wing mirror of a parked car and decided that his reflection was in fact competition for his territory, a sure sign that spring is on the way - well it's almost here already. It was repeatedly banging itself in to the mirror and never cottoned on at all for the 5 minutes I watched it. Quite fascinating really. Its a good time of year to photograph Chaffinch as they are in high breeding condition and look the best that are going to look. I know that some photographers in other countries use carved small bird decoys to attract birds to photograph and I have often thought about doing this and I think that this proves that it would work extremely well although you wouldn't want to do it too much or for too long as it would probably interfere with natural breeding behaviour of the birds that reacted to it.
Posted at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)


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The aromatic wood of the sandal tree has long been used for the blessing reliquaries and sacred objects. Sandalwood is considered universally auspicious for all spiritual practices. Counting mantras with this fragrant rosary will scent the fingers and may inspire a closer connection to the teacher or the deity. These sandalwood beads are purchased from a licensed dealer of sandalwood products and strung on high quality nylon coated wire by Tibetan artisans in Dharamsala. (108 beads.) Comes in a beautiful cloth bag.


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SAVANNAH — The Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets got into the win column in convincing fashion on Tuesday, beating Islands 69-51 on the road.
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Biore Pore Cleansing Strips - Nose
1752 reviews
55% would repurchase
Package Quality: 3.4
Price: $$
Package Quality: 3.4
Price: $$
INGREDIENTSPolyquaternium-37, Silica, Water, Glycerin, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Titanium Dioxide, Methylparaben.
on 11/13/2008 4:57:00 AM
Age: 25-29
Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Warm
Hair: Black, Straight, Fine
Eyes: Brown
These are not horrible, but they're not a must have product either. I buy them because they're fun once in a while and I LOVE subjecting my boyfriend to them (muahahaha...)
They're quite expensive for what they are - strips of gauzy fabric with an adhesive on one side that activates with water. Wash your face very well and steam open your pores - you can use a towel soaked in hot water, or take a shower beforehand, whatever works for you. Splash your nose with warm water, making sure that the skin is wet - if there are any dry patches the strip will not stick on those areas. Then take the plastic off the strip, and make sure you open the little slits that are cut into the edges of the strip - this will make it easier to get the strip to conform to the contours of your nose.
Then, the hard part... center it on your nose and smooth it on. The trick seems to be to work quickly - you don't want to be making too many adjustments after the strip sticks because you'll end up smearing the adhesive around and it'll "detach" from the gauze backing. Then when you peel off the strip your nose will be covered in gunky adhesive and your pores will be more clogged than ever. So make sure you get the strip positioned correctly before you stick it down - I like to start from the midline of my nose and smooth the strip out to either side, and then I arrange the "tip" part over the tip of my nose. I press it down hard, especially around the edges of my nose where it's easy to wind up with air bubbles.
Now you wait. Wait until the strip is *completely* dry. If it is wet or at all damp, the adhesive will not come off with the strip. Try not to move your face or the strip may move or come loose. Then when the moment arrives (you'll know because the strip will feel hard, like a cast), SLOWLY start peeling it off from the edges inward. If you have done everything right, there should be some pore gunk trapped like flies on a fly strip. Marvel at it... depending on how much you got, it can be either very satisfying or very frustrating.
Now the reason I only gave this product 3 stars is that it doesn't even come close to getting everything. You're lucky if there are two or three good ones on the strip. That said, your mileage may vary. When I used it on an ex-boyfriend's NOT very well-maintained pores, it was like a gold mine of pore gunk. However, if your pores are fairly tidy to begin with don't expect dramatic results. That, and these strips are so expensive, and very harsh on your skin. Peeling them off can be downright painful.
I just used one of these strips, which is why I was inspired to write a review. There were some clogs that came out, but mostly the strip just waxed all the peach fuzz off my nose. My nose feels really smooth (probably because it's been defuzzed), but I can see that there are still some clogs. My recommendation would be to definitely give these a chance. If they don't really work on you, play with them on you boyfriends or guy friends and at least get some great entertainment out of it. :)
on 11/12/2008 4:17:00 AM
Age: 25-29
Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium, Not Sure
Hair: Black, Other, Other
Eyes: Brown
This is probably the best of its kind out there. I do one of these whenever I feel like I need to get my nose clean or any other areas I need to clean. The trick to get these to work is really to get your face CLEAN. My normal routine is that I open one up before my shower so that the strip will be "warmed" up by the steam, take my shower and also let the steam open up my pores. Right before I step out of the shower I use my Clarisonic brush on the areas I really want to clean. I quickly slapped the strip onto my face when I get out of the shower. Then I drape a towel over to press it on really good. I wait for my 15 to 20 minutes and I literally can feel the strip tightening up. I have been using this for more than 3 years now; I am still amazed at how much stuff it can come out!!
on 11/9/2008 4:44:00 AM
Age: 18 & Under
Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Not Sure
Hair: Black, Other, Other
Eyes: Black
The product works great on me! It gets rid of everything on my nose. It's kinda nasty seeing all those black/whiteheads on the strip though, but its great cause you know these things arent on your nose anymore! and the strip also leaves you with a clean and smooth nose for days. I do have to admit that it hurts a little to take off .. ouch! But its worth it!
on 11/7/2008 5:10:00 PM
Age: 18 & Under
Skin: Combination, Fair, Not Sure
Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium
Eyes: Blue
this product did nothing for me! it removed no blackheads at all and when i took it off i always had to wash off the white stuff it leaves on my nose
on 11/4/2008 10:44:00 AM
Age: 19-24
Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Not Sure
Hair: Brown, Other, Other
Eyes: Black
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to analyse how to effectively use this, but some common sense might help. Follow the below steps if you have difficulties getting the product to work!
1) Cleanse your skin before using. Any oil or residue on your skin is going to obstruct the cleansing strip from working properly.
2) After patting my skin dry with a towel, this is what i do. I soak a small area of my face towel with some warm water, and gently press it onto my nose and nose wing area (the area that the cleansing strip is going to be stuck on). The purpose of doing this is so that your pores will open up and the gunk can emerge better.
3) Wet the above said area with warm water, then stick on your pore strip.
4) After 10-15mins, remove, and.. this last step is so important... ***Seal your open pores with an antiseptic toner. If you don't do this, your pores will remain open and dilated, and more oil and dirt will accumulate and get in, resulting in the Neverending Story. I use Seabreeze Antiseptic (by Shiseido). It has a cool tingly feel and for sure the antiseptic is killing the nasty bacteria accumulated from the dust and dirt in the city. With some luck you probably can find it at a Japanese supermarket/pharmacy near you. It's quite a famous product, but doesn't cost alot.
After doing all this, for sure i am having a very very smooth nose for the next few days. Once i detect those nasty white/blackheads again, i repeat the procedure.
Class dismissed.
on 11/2/2008 4:41:00 PM
Age: 18 & Under
Skin: Normal, Medium, Not Sure
Hair: Brunette, Other, Other
Eyes: Brown
I do like this product, Ive been using it for about 3 weeks now,
2 times a week. I love the little box they come in i find it soooo cute.
Some things I dont like about this product is that when removing then I find it does hurt quite a bit and it doesnt remove as much blackheads as i would want because I do have alot of blackheads on my nose (its something I have a problem with) Ive beeen trying many different products to get rid of my blackheads but I havent found any that I REALLLY like. The next products Im going to try are the Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask, Mud Pack Face Mask, and Grape Seed Extract Mask. Ive been reading the reviews and they are alot better than the Biore Pore Cleansing Strips...
Also this product is pretty expensive, in Canada I got 8 for about 10$ so I dont like the price.
I might buy this again but probably not.
on 10/28/2008 1:48:00 PM
Age: 36-43
Skin: Combination, Medium, Not Sure
Hair: Brown, Other, Other
Eyes: Brown
I love these things! It is so amazing how many pore it cleans out! I use these whenever my nose feels ruff due to bumps. Afterward my nose feels smooth again. I have used these for years now and I will defiently continue to purchase.
on 10/27/2008 10:35:00 PM
Age: 18 & Under
Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral
Hair: Red, Straight, Fine
Eyes: Brown
Ugh. So I got one of these as a free sample and I have a crazy messed nose with lots of little blackheads so I was like "cool, let's see if I can get rid of those pesky little things."
I did as directed.
It kind of hurt to pull it off. It really dries on there tight. I think it's too rough on the skin. When I pulled it off my nose I noticed it really didn't even have that much gunk on the strip. Also, my nose was red and shiny and irritated looking for days.
It's possible that maybe I just have sensitive skin. But still, it certainly didn't help at all.
on 10/24/2008 12:30:00 PM
Age: 19-24
Skin: Combination, Medium, Not Sure
Hair: Brown, Other, Other
Eyes: Brown
I don't have many blackheads, but I can see small ones and these did not help the cause at all. Would not repurchase.
on 10/19/2008 10:39:00 PM
Age: 19-24
Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Not Sure
Hair: Brunette, Other, Other
Eyes: Blue
these are so cool! i love using them and seeing the dirt on the strip... :)
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DIY: How To Remove Blackheads and Clean Dirty Pores on Your Nose by Ann Le {Anneorshine}


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How well did your school do in the 2014 Matric Examinations? (Click Here)
Welcome to the Eastern Cape Department of Education's EMIS Website. Please use the menu on the top to navigate through the website.
A Snap survey is conducted early in the year to collect learner and educator information. Later in the year more detailed Annual Surveys are conducted to collect data at various levels of disaggregation such as gender, age, grade and population group.
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SASAMS - South African Schools Administration and Management System is now compulsory in the Eastern Cape. (View EMIS Correspondence for Circulars relating to SASAMS)
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2015-08-05 SASAMS Patch 15.1.0 now available from Thutong or the EMISECAPE Dropbox
Dear Colleagues
SA-SAMS version 15.1.0 was released on Thutong.
This release contains the following changes:
- Enable ANA mark capturing
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- Report 13 is developed for Foundation Phase
- Report 12.9.19 contains a class list with Common tasks only
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